It is Not Death to Die, Unless You are a Skunk

           I had been thinking recently about how to explain the gravity of death to my children.  How do you convey death’s seeming finality, its sorrow, and its eternal weight?  With Easter coming, I wanted to make the death of Jesus become more of a reality to them.  So, God provided a skunk.

            Earlier this week, Chris and I were observing the children playing outside on another beautiful spring afternoon when I heard my husband say, “I just don’t like the looks of it.”  Then I followed his gaze to a small, but brazen skunk nibbling on something among the pine trees directly across from the back porch.  I too did not like the “looks” of this animal.  It was not shy and looked toward the kids running not several yards away.  “I should shoot it, but it’s going to stink.”, he said.  “Go get your gun.  I don’t want it to bite one of the children or for them to come across its path in the woods.”   So, the family prepared for the death of the skunk.

            All of the children come inside, except for our oldest, who I think has definitely earned the right of passage to observe the shooting of a wild animal in our yard on the outside of the house rather than the inside.  Every face was pressed against the screen door as Chris loaded his shotgun.  He paused.  I knew what he was thinking.  I wish I didn’t have to kill this animal.  He is so cute.  He doesn’t know any better.  But as a father, he knew his children must come before the unwary nocturnal animal that had brazenly snuffled its way into our yard. 

            He took a breath, and carefully shot the skunk.  Or should I say, “blew it away”?  One moment the little critter was enjoying his last meal, the next he was skunk toast.  I immediately looked at our children, and I knew this was the moment I had been looking for to talk about death.  Their eyes were opened and they just stood there looking at where the skunk once was. 

            We later spoke with them about why we chose to kill the skunk and the dangers of guns.  We talked with them about learning to use a firearm safely and the importance of protecting one’s family.  But the one thing we wanted to impress them with was the brevity of life.  One minute a cute skunk was in our yard, the next, his body was being dumped in the woods with a shovel.  They all understood exactly what we were saying.  Life is short and you do not know when it will end.  Death can come suddenly, are you ready? 

            Jesus alone knew when and how He would die.  He spoke of his death constantly to his disciples.  He let them know that He must die in their place to deliver them from sin and death itself.  Without His sacrifice, we would all be under the wrath of the Almighty God of the Universe.  He had to die. 

            We do not know when or how death will come.  For some, death will cause an agony of both body and spirit.  For others, even though their bodies may be racked with pain, their spirits will be at peace because they have hidden their life with Christ in God.  For them, it will not be death to die, but life eternal. 

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.” John 3:14, 15